Movies: Past, present and future

Word of Mouth: Will Ferrell's Spanish-language gamble [video]

March 15, 2012 | 5:11pm

Will Ferrell might do pretty much anything for a laugh. But the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus faces an unusual test this weekend, with the premiere of his "Casa de Mi Padre."

The $6-million spoof of Mexican soap operas, which costars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, is almost completely in Spanish. Ferrell learned his lines phonetically and all of the dialogue is subtitled. The parody, produced by Nala Films and distributed into about 350 theaters by Pantelion Films, is courting two distinct audiences: the English-speaking ticket buyers who attend Ferrell's big-studio comedies like "Anchorman" and Latinos who have broad moviegoing interest.

The marketing opportunities, as well as the challenges, are the topic of this week's Word of Mouth column. Above is a video preview.